Kabocha Squash

Have I ever mentioned that I love Wednesdays? Well I do. It's my Monday so I'm back in the Kitchen with Amber for prep. It's also the day of farmers market. I met up with Vanessa this afternoon and we walked into town. She's been up north for the past week so it was nice to see her and catch up. I picked the usual chard, celery, pasilla chiles, lettuce, and bell peppers, but was curious about all the squash that are now available. I haven't done too much cooking with squash. I think I always thought they were too difficult but really, they are one of the easiest things to cook. I asked the woman at the Roots stand if the small orange squash was a mini pumpkin. She said it was a Kabocha squash also known as a Japanese pumpkin. She noted that the taste is sweeter than pumpkin and explained how to cook them. Cut in half and brush with olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350°. Mine took close to 50 minutes. I scraped out the seeds to cook on a separate tray. They were seasoned with a little bit of olive oil and course salt. I had no idea what to pair with this so I decided to steam some broccoli and that's when I had the idea to stuff it in the squash with the toasted seeds. It was such a simple dinner but so yummy. I can't wait for next Wednesday so I can purchase more. Okra was another first time purchase today which I've also never cooked with. Some research needs to be done. When I think of okra I remember myself and my childhood best friend eating pickled okra right out of the jar. Oh yeah, and the Torkelsons. Remember that show?

Made this green drink earlier for my snack... I can now include granny smith apples into my diet which makes me a very happy girl. A month without fruit is no fun. Lots of ginger and lemon, apple, and celery leaves and stalks.

Also pretty excited about my new book purchase

Today was a good day. Hope everyone else enjoyed themselves.